Second batch of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members undergo a rigorous application process to join the Philippine National Police on September 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU)
COTABATO CITY—Continuing the journey towards lasting peace in the Bangsamoro, the screening of the second batch of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members aspiring to join the Philippine National Police (PNP) has started.
A total of 792 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) passed the Body Mass Index (BMI) process on Sept. 9 at Camp Brig. Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.
The passers are composed of 546 MILF applicants, consisting of 509 males and 37 females, and 246 MNLF applicants, consisting of 221 males and 25 females. They underwent BMI test, physical agility test, psychological examination, and physical and dental examination.
Undersecretary Wilben M. Mayor, Presidential Assistant and Head Secretariat of National Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), and former member of the Technical Working Group, emphasized that the government’s initiative to include the former combatants in the PNP application process is a manifestation of the continuing progress of the Bangsamoro peace process.
Mayor also personally visited the PNP headquarters to observe the strict compliance with the standards.
“I personally came to see you and to see the process to ensure that iyong guidelines ay sinusunod,” he said.
In Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim’s statement on Aug. 15, he believed that the PNP passers from MILF and MNLF would contribute to advancing conflict transformation in BARMM.
“We are confident that this special set of new policemen and policewomen will contribute in protecting our citizens and ensuring peace and order in the region,” Ebrahim stressed.
During the first set of application processes, 102 MILF and MNLF men and women passed and took oath as new PNP members in the BARMM on Aug. 10.
Based on the National Police Commission’s Resolution No. 2023-0380, only 400 slots are allotted for the former combatants to be members of the PNP.
These efforts are in accordance with the Enhanced 12-Point Priority Agenda of Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim regarding sustaining and improving peace across the Bangsamoro region. (Johamin Inok/BIO with reports from OPAPRU)
